I am 5'9" and test rode a vstrom 650 last year. I found it too tall (I couldn't put both feet down) and top heavy. I nearly dropped it in the dealers yard. Not as agile through the twisties as my k3 naked as its wet weight is 31kg heavier than my bike.

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Naked SV650 K3 in Silver

All joking aside have you thought about the FZ1 more comfortable better wind protection and more than enough power my dad's got one and thinks its the mutts nuts.

That's what I thought I was going to get before I got the Tracer.. mainly because of budget. But then I wanted ABS and all the ABS models were up around the price of the cheapest Tracers. Looks wise, I do like them. They've got enough of a dated but still modern front end. Not that fuel efficient though and 150bhp does up my insurance slightly! I do keep looking at them though. Should probably test one.

... test rode a BMW F800GT today. It was a very nice bike. Felt a lot smaller when you're on it than they look. Felt heavier than the Tracer and less inclined to steer, but it surprised me when it steered really well with little input. No where near as flickable though and much less grab when you open the throttle, which is both good and bad. I'd like a bit more oomph and ability to pull away, but on the plus side it meant the throttle response was very smooth, no where near the snatchiness of the Tracer.

Wind protection was ok. Decent front end that was nice to be behind but still looking over the screen and good clean air flow. Some wind when up to 70mph, but smooth enough and not annoying. Nice on a warm sunny day like it is here today. The bar position was slightly forward compared to the Tracer, so better but still a bit too upright maybe. Also found the seat held me forward to the tank a bit too much. I'd have liked to have pushed back.

Putting a foot down kept surprising me when my foot hit the ground a few inches before I expected it too. It's low! Decent enough knee angle though to feel like you can lock in nicely. I'm 6ft and not sure I'd want it any smaller or lower. My IAM instructor gets on really well with hers and she's about 5ft 8".

It felt long. The wheel base felt and looked very long. Maybe that affects the steering? Or at least the feel and what you expect from the steering? What amazed me was the low speed handling. You can almost track stand it, which for someone of my limited ability at that sort of thing is impressive, especially considering (although it's not what most would call heavy) it does weigh 214kg. The back brake was almost non existent though (compared to the very, very good fronts) but maybe that made slow control easier meaning you could be heavy on it and still move nicely at slow speeds.

Indicator switch was terrible. No feedback or click at all and very small. I kept having to look at the dash to check I'd signalled, which isn't ideal as you're usually signalling at times when you need to be looking around you instead of at the dash.

I can see why people get 70mpg out of them. They do feel a bit like the edges are taken off everything. I think if I rode my Tracer in B (rain) mode and didn't ride high revs I could get similar with a similar ride style. It definitely feels like more of a straight line bike and would be great for longer journeys cruising. It is buzzy when revved (especially through the bars) but if you settle into 60 to 70mph in 6th gear all that dissappears. Nice to be able to have buzzy feedback of what the engine is doing in changeable conditions, stop start and corners, but also the choice to not buzz your hands into numbness when at higher cruising speeds for longer times.

Overall though, I really liked it but can't imagine myself having one as my only bike. And as much as I'd like, I can only have one. Even if I could afford two, I can't afford to run / insure / care for two and don't have space either.

Getting back on the Tracer made me appreciate certain things about it again. Mainly it's ability to position yourself out of blind spots etc when pulling away at 65/70mph on dual carriageway. Still came back with fluttering ears from the wind noise even after a short ride though and can't afford to batter my already tinnitus filled lugholes. And I get a bit bored sitting so upright.

... test rode a BMW F800GT today. It was a very nice bike. Felt a lot smaller when you're on it than they look. Felt heavier than the Tracer and less inclined to steer, but it surprised me when it steered really well with little input. No where near as flickable though and much less grab when you open the throttle, which is both good and bad. I'd like a bit more oomph and ability to pull away, but on the plus side it meant the throttle response was very smooth, no where near the snatchiness of the Tracer.

Wind protection was ok. Decent front end that was nice to be behind but still looking over the screen and good clean air flow. Some wind when up to 70mph, but smooth enough and not annoying. Nice on a warm sunny day like it is here today. The bar position was slightly forward compared to the Tracer, so better but still a bit too upright maybe. Also found the seat held me forward to the tank a bit too much. I'd have liked to have pushed back.

Putting a foot down kept surprising me when my foot hit the ground a few inches before I expected it too. It's low! Decent enough knee angle though to feel like you can lock in nicely. I'm 6ft and not sure I'd want it any smaller or lower. My IAM instructor gets on really well with hers and she's about 5ft 8".

It felt long. The wheel base felt and looked very long. Maybe that affects the steering? Or at least the feel and what you expect from the steering? What amazed me was the low speed handling. You can almost track stand it, which for someone of my limited ability at that sort of thing is impressive, especially considering (although it's not what most would call heavy) it does weigh 214kg. The back brake was almost non existent though (compared to the very, very good fronts) but maybe that made slow control easier meaning you could be heavy on it and still move nicely at slow speeds.

Indicator switch was terrible. No feedback or click at all and very small. I kept having to look at the dash to check I'd signalled, which isn't ideal as you're usually signalling at times when you need to be looking around you instead of at the dash.

I can see why people get 70mpg out of them. They do feel a bit like the edges are taken off everything. I think if I rode my Tracer in B (rain) mode and didn't ride high revs I could get similar with a similar ride style. It definitely feels like more of a straight line bike and would be great for longer journeys cruising. It is buzzy when revved (especially through the bars) but if you settle into 60 to 70mph in 6th gear all that dissappears. Nice to be able to have buzzy feedback of what the engine is doing in changeable conditions, stop start and corners, but also the choice to not buzz your hands into numbness when at higher cruising speeds for longer times.

Overall though, I really liked it but can't imagine myself having one as my only bike. And as much as I'd like, I can only have one. Even if I could afford two, I can't afford to run / insure / care for two and don't have space either.

Getting back on the Tracer made me appreciate certain things about it again. Mainly it's ability to position yourself out of blind spots etc when pulling away at 65/70mph on dual carriageway. Still came back with fluttering ears from the wind noise even after a short ride though and can't afford to batter my already tinnitus filled lugholes. And I get a bit bored sitting so upright.

That was an interesting read. It's one of the bikes that I would consider. They had one in a local bike shop and one of the things that put me off is the speedo, its a bit of a mess with a small needle that doesn't quite reach the mph scale.

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